Squat Alternatives

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TweetOften classified as the “king of exercises,” the squatshould be a regular part of every guy’s workout program. Squats are great for targeting all the major muscle groups in the lower body, increasing your natural testosterone release, boosting your metabolism, and building muscle or burning fat depending on what your nutritional intake looks like at the moment.

Many men avoid squats because they either don’t have enough flexibility in their calves and shins to perform them properly, they have a nagging lower back injury that seems to flare up when squats are performed, they don’t have access to a squat rack and cannot lift heavy enough weight, or they simply just don’t do the exercise to begin with.

If including squats in your workout program is impossible, there are squat alternatives you can turn to. These will all work many of the same muscle groups as squats and will help to compensate for not having “the king of exercises” in your program.

Progress is going to primarily come down to being able to effectively overload the muscles, so if you can’t accomplish this with squats, but can do so with squat alternatives, that’s the smartest route to go.

Step-ups

Step-ups, performed with either dumbbells or a barbell, are great squat alternatives as well as being an awesome option for home workouts. The higher the step or bench you are using, the more it’s going to target the glute muscles, which help push the body upward.

If you want to place more stress on the quads, move the bench slightly further away from you or step more toward the middle of the bench within comfort range.

You can perform all the reps on one leg and then switch (which is good for muscular endurance) or perform one rep on one leg and then switch legs for the next rep (better for maximum strength).

Split squats

The second exercise is a variation of the squat known as the split squat. These are good for those who tend to feel "locked into place" with the traditional squat. To perform this, stand about two to three feet in front of a step or bench and place your rear foot on the step or bench. Balancing on your forward standing leg, hold a pair of dumbbells at your sides or place a barbell across your back and lower your body down as low as you can go.

To emphasize the hamstrings, split your legs farther apart, and to emphasize the quads, bring them closer together. Just watch that your knee is following over your toes at all times to prevent knee problems.

Walking lunges

The walking lunge is good for guys who aren’t looking to develop muscle size and strength, but are looking to maintain their current muscle mass while bringing out definition.

Walking lunges can be performed forward or backward for increased variety and stimulus on the muscle fibers. However, you should start out with going forward to get used to the correct movement pattern.

Watch that you are maintaining an erect position with your body, as adopting a slightly forward lean will place too much stress on the lower back muscles, causing pain down the road.

Leg presses

Because of the mindset that squats are “the king of exercise," as touched upon in the introduction, many guys overlook the fact that the leg press is a very similar movement pattern, providing almost all the same benefits. Some people feel much more comfortable using a leg press and, therefore, can lift a great deal more weight, making this the superior option.

Generally Leg Sled leg press machines tend to work better for maximum strength development, but if that’s not available, the typical leg press will be better than skipping the movement altogether.

Your foot position will determine the direction of the stress on the muscles; a turned-out stance will target the hamstrings to a higher degree. Alternating between turned-out and straight foot positions will help provide variety in your workout and prevent you from hitting a plateau.

Jump squats

To focus more on quickness and agility, consider jump squats. These don’t require as much calf flexibility due to the pattern of motion, and they're simple to perform.

Jump squats work great when added to polyometric programs or circuit-style training designed for cardio purposes.

Deadlifts

Finally, don’t overlook the other major lower body lift -- the deadlift. These allow you to lift a massive amount of weight, helping develop a high degree of muscle mass and strength. Make sure that when you perform them you are watching the back position to avoid a rounded back that will take the stress away from the legs.

squats subverted

Just because you can't squat doesn't mean you should neglect your quads. There are plenty of options that you can still perform that will stimulate the lower body and give you a well-rounded workout program.

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TweetThat's me. The everyday squat really gets to my lower back. I love the hip-sled, or leg-sled as referred to above. That's my personal fav. I can do front-squats though. The positioning of the bar resting on my chest, front-delts, and arms is the trick. It keeps the weight from compressing my spine. Front-squats force perfect posture and form as well. I really dig front squats.
Tomorrow is leg day, so I think I'll do some front squats this week. I don't do them every week.

If you have access to a hack-squat machine, those are another great alternative. I remember for the first couple years of training, my training partner told me how rough hack-squats are, but there was no hack-squat set up at that gym. Then I relocated to another town, and that gym had one. I enjoyed the heck out of that Hack-squat machine.